Tales of Bandle City: The Gilded Island
by Candlestic
Summary: In the post-war chaos, an opportunistic gang strikes the Kinkou, taking one of its own. Now Shen and Akali must come to terms with the fallout of balancing their loss with their duty. Meanwhile, brought to an idealistic, island property, Kennen finds himself in a complex situation. One where morality and consequence must be faced by all involved. 7th in TOBC.
1. The Ambush

**Author's Note: Hi all. It's been a while and I'm really sorry about that. The last 4 months have not been the easiest. **

**Not only with work/life consuming so much of my time but also because I was seriously considering whether I wanted to continue this series. I got a bit depressed by the direction Riot seems to be taking the current lore and even whether anyone really wants to read about a world that is so officially non-cannon now. It didn't help I had a lot of writer's block with the start of this story either. **

**However, after some time off, some major thinking and some perseverance I have decided to stick with this. No matter how much this becomes non-cannon or how many people read it, the truth of the matter is, I still adore the world I created and want to see it through for myself alone. **

**I'm in a much better place now both mentally and emotionally so I'm confident that you can expect pretty regular updates again of 2-3 weeks. **

**I hope you enjoy :).**

* * *

Kennen smiled at the girl behind the counter, "Hi, can I order the candied pork soup, the Tonkotsu ramen, the Shao Long Bao dumplings and, if it's not too much trouble, a side order of your gorgeous smile."

The ninja winked, causing the mouse-brown yordle to blush.

"That'll be 200 obol. The smile will cost you extra."

"I'd expect nothing less." She laughed as he handed the money over to her.

"So what brings you to Kashuri?" she asked, genuinely curious.

The purple-clad yordle shrugged, "Honestly, not much. We're just passing through. Wish we were staying longer. I'd love to spend some time at the hanging gardens and see the Tevasa performers. Not to mention the markets here are incredible. Then there's the Overhang, the Tranquil Temple, the Whispering Brook…"

He was cut off by another giggle. "Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I tend to ramble when I get excited."

The tan female just shook her head, "No, it's alright. This place is beautiful."

"Not as beautiful as you."

She blushed again at his compliment before rerailing the conversation. "But I'll be honest, this place isn't what it used to be. We took a hard hit during the war and since then we haven't seen all that many tourists, so business is pretty slow. For the most part life here has just been about trying to rebuild. It's a little boring."

His eyes softened, "Boring's not so bad. It beats the alternative trust me. A lot has changed since the start of the war – a lot of it for the worse. So, it's nice to see somewhere that's doing a little better."

"I guess that's true," she conceded. "Ah, your food's here."

He grinned again. "Thank you. And thanks for the company. It was a pleasure."

Balancing the assortment of meals with practised ease, the ninja gave the girl another wink before racing off to where Shen and Akali were sitting at a corner table.

Passing the food off to their respective owners, the yordle turned to his companions with a serious expression. "Nothing out of place here. The region seems to be stabilising."

Shen nodded. "That seems to be consistent with what we overheard. Did you find out anything of interest?"

Kennen shook his head. "Tourism and trade are down but that's to be expected."

Akali paused from where she'd been eating her ramen. "Looks like we'll be able to move on tomorrow. Good. I'm looking forward to getting back to the Kinkou."

Kennen agreed wholeheartedly and even Shen gave a brief nod of concession.

Life had been tough for their clan recently. It had been four years since the war with Noxus had started, one since Ionia had joined the Institute of War and halted their progress. Not all were happy with that result, but then again, a lot had changed in the island nation over the course of those three years.

For the Kinkou, however, the end of the war had heralded a much greater threat. Not even a month after Noxus had been forced to put an end to their assault, Zed had appeared at their monastery, many of his acolytes in tow. The resulting slaughter had ended with Lord Kushio dead, half of their number killed and the rest homeless. In the end, they'd settled themselves in the northern providence of Navori where they began to rebuild. So far it had been incrementally successful but rough none-the-less. Particularly for the triumvirate. With reduced numbers, the trio had been forced to provide the majority of their own reconnaissance. And after the unusually long mission they'd just completed down south, all three were looking forward to returning to their new home.

They ate their meal in companionable peace; keeping up an ambient level of light conversation (even as they continued to keep their ears open for any useful information) before retiring early.

* * *

The next day they left just as the dawn began to peek out from behind the mountain, painting the outskirts of the town a striking black and gold.

Kennen always felt revitalised walking through the breath-taking scenery of Ionia. The wild magic throughout the entire land surging through his blood and the morning breeze making him feel alive with renewed energy. There was truly nothing like this place anywhere else on the continent.

They kept up a constant pace right up until around mid-morning when Akali pulled back from the corner she'd started rounding, stopping her two companions in the process. The green ninja glared the hillside, as if she could still see what was behind it. "There are five men blocking the road round this hill."

"How likely is it that they don't mean trouble?" Kennen asked, head tilted and ears twitching to see if he could pick up any noise from the men.

"With the way they were just standing around, unlikely," the deadly female shifted uneasily, hand straying towards her weapons. "This is really suspicious. This isn't a main road and the countryside may be hilly but it still doesn't lend itself well to an ambush."

The two shorter ninjas turned to Shen as he spoke. "With so little information, it's unreasonable to assume we are their targets. However, wisdom would dictate we head back and find another way around. We don't have time to waste on this group nor do we want to walk straight into a trap on the off chance they are looking for us specifically."

"A bit late for that I'm afraid."

The three ninjas turned as one, weapons sliding easily into hand to confront the voice behind them.

A group of about two dozen armed humans surrounded them (the men down the road an obvious distraction to catch them out in the open). However, the ninjas had no plans on letting them keep the upper hand.

As soon as the threat was realised, Kennen was off like a shot, weaving in between the humans towards the open space behind them. The thugs tried to block his movement with their weapons but the purple ninja was too fast for them; leaving a trail of electricity and bullets in his wake. As he rushed past the gang members, his quick hands disarmed weapons and pushed pressure points, neutralising the enemies behind him.

Once the yordle had pulled the gang's attention, Akali leapt into action. Throwing down a smoke screen to obscure the area, the lethal female leapt at the exposed backs of those distracted. Kama in one hand and dagger in the other (her second Kama had been destroyed in the battle against Zed's Order), the green-clad ninja deftly dashed between two of the men before ducking under the pair of blades that came at her sudden appearance. The butt of her own blade found the stomach of one even as the flat of her Kama knocked the other unconscious. As the two collapsed, the ninja was already lunging for the next opponent.

In comparison to his two companions Shen remained where he was, drawing the focus of a large majority of the gang. With skilful ease, he deflected the attacks aimed at his person with minimal effort as his keen eyes surveyed the skirmish.

It only took him a couple of seconds to identify the group attacking them. The curled symbol on their clothes quickly identifying them as the Bladewood gang. Normally, a gang like this would be too insignificant to interest the Kinkou, however, they had run into them during the war. Somehow the group had come into the possession of some very powerful, magical artefacts and were attempting to sell them to the Noxians. Had that happened, there could have been irreversible damage done to the island nation, and that the Kinkou could not allow. Their presence here was most likely a petty revenge scheme for that earlier altercation. Regrettable, but predictable.

Unfortunately for the Bladewood gang, the trio of ninjas were making short work of their members; leaving a swath of injured and groaning figures in their wake. All three were taking care not to kill any of the attackers, slowing them down somewhat. However, the extra time taken to non-lethally fight them was much shorter than the extra time it would take to ensure the balance in this region was not disturbed by their deaths. Time they could ill afford to use.

Still, with the ease that they were cutting through the gang, it seemed like their slight limitation was not inhibiting their upper-hand. Right up until everything changed.

Soji Rida watched as the ninja trio effortlessly took down his men, waiting for the best moment to strike. Finally, the yordle made it in range and the Bladewood leader pulled out their trump card.

Kennen had been in the middle of a series of lightning fast jabs when the fatigue struck him. The electricity dwindled from his fingers and he backed off, suddenly aware of how sluggish his limbs felt. Normally, the power from his natural magic raced beneath his skin, giving him seemingly boundless energy. Right now, however, it felt like it was deserting him, leaving the yordle with an unnatural exhaustion unlike anything he'd ever felt before.

Slowly, he turned his head, trying to find the source that was feeding on his magic. He spotted the gang leader nearby holding up a pure-white rock, pulsing with magic. The purple-clad ninja turned sluggishly towards the man, but before he could make it more than a couple of steps he collapsed to his knees.

All around him the world spun as the edges of his vision blurred. Desperately he fought to stay awake. Fought to get up off his hands and knees, knowing how precarious of a position he was in. But his body would no longer listen to him. Nearby the pulsing stone grew brighter as it absorbed more and more of the unlucky yordle's energy until finally his world faded to black.

Shen spotted his teammate's fall from across the combatants and immediately called out to Akali.

The green-clad female turned, caught sight of the thug picking up their downed companion and leapt towards them, even as Shen tried to make his way closer to their position.

Neither made it there.

One of the gang members pulled out a rocket launcher – modified with what appeared to be Zaunite Hextech – that launched a sphere of condensed magic. Before they could react, the orb exploded, knocking both ninja unconscious.

"Sorry," said Rida briefly to the comatose forms of their enemies. "But you're not the ones we're interested in."

* * *

Shen and Akali awoke well after the sun had begun its trek back down towards the reaching horizon. With a groan, the green-clad female rolled into a crouch as she held her head. "You know, sometimes I hate magic" she spat out. Then she amended. "And technology."

"We underestimated them," Shen agreed as he sat up. He rolled his shoulders, trying to get the feeling back into them as he scanned their surroundings. There was no sign of the gang that had ambushed them nor their furry teammate – something that made a trail of unease stir within the blue ninja.

It seemed their losses from the war had affected them more than he'd anticipated. Being short staffed had made them sloppy; taking risks they otherwise wouldn't had and allowing them to be caught by such an obvious trap.

Briefly he wondered what his father would do in this situation before shaking the thought off. His father's own actions had not been perfect and it was his own mistakes that had contributed to their current predicament. He couldn't allow himself to be stuck in the past when his attention was required in the present.

Akali was already up and scouring the ground for evidence. The deadly ninja intently studied the tracks as they left the area; her sharp eyes locked on the turbulent dirt as she carefully stepped over the imprints. After following the trail a little way away from their position, she came back to the Eye of Twilight.

"There are tracks leading south, back in the direction that we came from but they're fake. I found a well-hidden set heading east. They're most likely heading for the harbour town of Zhyunia. If we leave now we should be able to catch them in a day and a half."

The Fist of Shadow secured her weapons, already willing to get started but Shen hesitated. If they chased after their companion now they would miss their portal back to the Kinkou headquarters. And if that happened, it could take them weeks to make the same journey by foot.

It was a difficult decision, but in the end there was only one choice. With a heavy heart he stopped the green-clad ninja.

"We cannot," he said simply. "The information we carry is too important to the Kinkou to delay it. Even for one of our own."

Akali could see the sense in what her teammate was saying but that didn't mean she had to like it – a sentiment that clearly showed on her face even through the mask. "So we just leave Kennen to face whatever comes on his own?"

Shen closed his eyes. Due to the age difference between them, it was easy to forget that the yordle was just as capable and just as deadly as his older companions. He was more than equipped to handle any situation on his own. "For now. Kennen is stronger than he looks. I have no doubt he can handle himself until we return."

He didn't mention his doubts as the two ninjas reluctantly continued on their original path. Not because what he said was wrong. But because he can't shake the image of the smaller ninja collapsing without taking a single hit, the pulsing stone the gang leader had possessed casting an eerie glow over the downed yordle. Not for the first time (nor the last, he's sure), Shen hoped he was making the right decision.


	2. Transactions

**Author's Note: New chapter! It's a little on the shorter side but that's mostly because it's a bit of a transition chapter. It was a lot of fun to write :). Hope you guys enjoy it!**

* * *

Kennen slowly came to, stifling a groan. His head felt like it was stuffed with wool and his limbs were as heavy as lead. There was no pain, only a deep-seated exhaustion unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It felt like someone had sucked all the energy right out of his body – or the magic, he grimly realised.

Despite the exhaustion, the yordle forced his mind to stay on alert. He kept his eyes closed as his ears swivelled to pick up on his surroundings.

The first thing he immediately picked up on was the rowdy chorus of voices all around him. Though muffled (most likely by a thin wall or the like) the ninja was able to identify the rough, thick accents of the Southern port. That meant he was still amoung the Bladewood gang that had attacked them. He couldn't hear the familiar breaths of Shen and Akali but with all the noise around, that didn't mean they weren't nearby. It just meant they weren't in here with him. As for where 'here' was, Kennen guessed he was being held in some sort of wagon or carriage based on the frequent but inconsistent rocking motion shaking whatever he was lying on.

Judging by the lack of weight on his figure, they'd also confiscated all of his shuriken. Joy. Not that he was in much of a position to escape anyway. The yordle didn't think he had the energy to stand yet, let alone break out.

Unhappy with the conclusions but satisfied he'd gleaned all he could about his situation, Kennen decided to stop stalling the inevitable. It was time to let his captors know he was awake and see what knowledge he could gain from them.

The first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes were the thick iron bars cutting his vision of the dusty wagon interior into lines. Turns out he'd been stuffed in a small, portable cage. Fantastic.

The next thing that caught the ninja's attention was the young gang member slouched across from him, trying to balance his knife by its point out of boredom. When the kid looked up and caught the yordle staring at him, he swore and jumped out of his seat. Only to comically fall over the back of the chair; knife clattering off the table in the process.

Kennen had to hold back his snort of laughter, thankful that his mask was at least hiding his smirk from the hapless goon.

However, before the ninja could so much as get a word in, the teen was out the door. "Rida," he called out, "he's awake!"

A few moments later the familiar figure of the Bladewood leader entered. Kennen immediately tensed up, but if the gang leader noticed he gave no indication. Instead he looked over the yordle with a critical eye.

"It's about time you woke up," he said bluntly. "I was getting worried we'd damaged you permanently. Guess that crystal was more potent then we thought."

The young yordle raised an eyebrow, eyes never leaving the rugged man before him. "Crystal?"

"We got it specifically for this mission. It's supposed to absorb magic," the younger gang member babbled excitedly. "We figured it would take away your lightning powers allowing us to get a good hit on you while you were adjusting. Never expected you to collapse though."

He was silenced by a glare from his superior even as Kennen eyed the two warily.

His natural magic manifested itself as energy. It was what gave him his speed, stamina and electrical abilities. However, these thugs had assumed that his physical capabilities weren't related to his magic. While they were obviously suspicious about his collapse, as long as he could stop them making that connection it might give him the edge he needed to escape. So he stayed quiet, despite the multitude of come backs that quickly came to mind.

Turning back to the yordle, Soji Rida continued, "As my young companion so nicely pointed out, we weren't expecting just how powerful our strategy would be. Which begs the question, how are you faring?"

In all honesty, his limbs ached and his whole being still felt exhausted, but there was no way Kennen was telling them that. Instead he shot out, "Why do you care?"

The Ionian just raised an eyebrow, "Let's just say, I need to make sure my investment isn't damaged. Otherwise we won't get our money's worth."

The ninja in the cage bristled. "You're selling me?"

Rida snorted. "Don't look so indignant about it. You of all people should know about the darker side of life. Almost anything can be bought for the right price and our buyer is offering _a lot_ of money for a healthy yordle specimen. Sure, we could have gone with any yordle. But considering just how much money your clan cost us last time we met, I figured it was about time you paid your due."

The look Kennen levelled at the man was nothing short of terrifying, causing the younger member to take a step back in fear. "That shipment you were going to sell to the Noxians would have destroyed entire regions. There was no way we could turn a blind eye to that."

"My point exactly. Do you have any idea how much that sort of thing would have brought us? We would have been as rich as kings. Top of the market. But you had to go and ruin it."

Kennen really wished he had access to a weapon right now to wipe the conceited look off of the gang leader's face. Meanwhile, Rida took a step back, brushing the vendetta aside.

"Unfortunately, the past is the past. There's nothing either of us can do about it. Besides, I have a feeling you've got a lot more to worry about right now."

He turned to the teenager, "Watch him. If he looks like he's doing anything suspicious, you know what to do."

Frustration boiled up within the hazel yordle as the gang leader left the wagon. But he let it out with a long breath. In one aspect the Ionian had been right: he had more pressing matters to focus on than disputing the past. He slowed his breathing, reaching past his exhaustion. Hopefully, he could build up enough energy to escape when the time was right.

* * *

It took the gang a few days to make it over the mountain to the port city of Zhyunia. In that time, Kennen was able to collect a fair amount of information about his fate.

The young gang member, Hojin, was fresh-faced and eager for companionship and it only took a little prompting from the yordle to get him to open up. After that he was willing to talk about almost anything. In those few days, Kennen learnt almost all there was to know about Hojin's life growing up, the other gang member's habits and a fair few of their shady past dealings.

Much more useful was the information about where they were going. Apparently, they were going to meet up with their external supplier; the young gang member more than willing to tell him how the man had come to them with the request from an eccentric, Piltovian noble offering a high price for a yordle.

However, much to his continuous frustration, the Ionian remained tight-lipped about the strange crystal they'd used to absorb his magic. No matter how much prompting he did to turn the conversation towards it, the yordle was unable to find out anything about it. Not what it was; where it had come from; or (most pertinently) where it was.

It was the only thing throwing a wrench into his plans for escape and it seemed like the Bladewood gang knew it. However, despite the risk, the yordle was confident that the transaction was still his best opportunity to get away. With the extra chaos and the large city to hide in, as long as played his cards right he should make it out just fine.

They had arrived in the city at nightfall. Using the remaining hours of daylight to make their way through the streets to one of the dock warehouses. Once there, Kennen's cage was placed in a dimly lit storage room with Hojin while Rida and some others went to meet with the dealer.

This was the moment he'd been waiting for. Carefully, he slipped a long thin wire out from the hem of his tunic before quietly fiddling with the lock. The low lighting wasn't an issue for him but it would definitely prevent his guard from noticing what he was doing.

Eyes flicking between the young guard and the lock, the purple ninja raised his ears, trying to pick up any incoming noises as he deftly worked away.

Finally, the lock gave a quiet click just as approaching footsteps caught his ears.

"-been partners for years. Do you really not trust me on something as simple as this job?" The yordle could make out Rida's voice as the conversers drew near.

"It's because we've been partners for years that I want to check the goods first. I know you." The second voice was a higher pitched and fluttery one that Kennen didn't recognise but could infer belonged to the dealer. "While I have no doubt you did technically fulfil the requirements, you have a funny way of doing so in some – unorthodox – ways."

Swiftly, Kennen hid the lock-pick up his sleeve and moved away from the bars just before the lights were turned on. The sudden glare from the lights blinded him as the two newcomers approached.

As his eyes adjusted he heard an exasperated and slightly panicked sigh. "You stole a member of the _Kinkou? Really?_"

His vision returned just in time to see the rotund, bearded man the Bladewood leader was with wipe the sweat from his brow. "Look, I brought you into this deal because it was easy money and would set us both up nicely in the aftermath of the war."

"That and if we did it and got caught it wouldn't lead back to you," Rida cut in, casually ignoring the glare it earned him.

"Instead we'll both be caught because you couldn't let go of a petty revenge scheme!"

"Relax," the gang leader waved him off. "It's not as bad as it seems. We were never going to snatch a yordle without anyone noticing anyway. The species are close-knit by nature. Their friends would have alerted the peace-keepers as soon as they noticed one was missing."

Watching the two men casually talk about his species like that made Kennen's ire peak. "You know I can hear you right?" he snarled at them, however, both humans continued to ignore him.

Fidgeting anxiously but still holding his ground, the dealer pressed his point, "The peace-keepers are easier to deal with, especially after the war."

"And you think the Kinkou isn't? Haven't you noticed how sparse their presence has been lately?"

The bearded man stilled as he thought over what his partner had said. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen much of the ninja clan since the war had ended.

"Rumour has it, they've had their own problems to deal with. Their numbers have noticeably thinned and members of a rival 'Order of the Shadow' have been popping up instead. They don't have the time or the resources to hunt down the likes of us. Case and point, there were two other members with this one when we attacked. The Valerian powder we used on them only lasts 6 hours and yet it's been almost a week since that incident and there is still no sign of them."

Internally Kennen winced. Once he'd found out that Shen and Akali had been left behind it hadn't taken him long to figure that they'd continued on with their original task first. It was not a decision he held against them. Just as he knew it would not prevent them from coming back for him afterwards (assuming he didn't escape first).

However, as Rida had so rightly pointed out, it was not helping their image as the untouchable protectors of the land. Should rumours of their weakened state spread it had the potential to stir up more unrest and would most definitely result in more work for the whole clan.

The supplier was still skeptical as he mulled over this new information, but even he could see the logic that the Bladewood leader had provided. "Fine," he finally conceded, "but I will be paying you less as insurance should the buyer recognise him and pull out of the deal."

"That old coot?" The Soji Rida snarled, clearly not happy with this new turn of events. "He's a reclusive elitist who lives on a private island and wants a yordle as a _pet. _I doubt he'd recognise a League Champion if they kicked him up the arse, let alone a member of a foreign organisation."

Until now the heavy-set supplier had been perpetually on edge and nervous but at the rebuttal of the other man his spine straightened, and a steely undertone came to his voice. "This is non-negotiable."

With all of the attention on the two men squaring off, Kennen took his opportunity. Gathering up his reserved energy, he leapt from the cage straight for the rookie guarding him and the young Ionian went down in one hit; then Kennen swivelled from his spot and leapt at the two men in the middle of the room before the guard had even hit the floor.

He aimed for the gang leader first, landing a punch in his gut before he could even react. The big man grunted in pain but that was all he had time for before the ninja came at him with a flurry of attacks, not letting up or giving Rida the chance to go on the defensive. The yordle wore through his defences before knocking him out with a swift uppercut.

He turned to the last man, dodging the sword that was headed towards him just in time. The supplier was surprisingly resilient, making it difficult for Kennen to get close with the sword in the way. But in the end the ninja had more training than him and it didn't take long before he found an opening to take the dealer out.

All this happened in under two minutes.

He paused briefly, scanning his surroundings to ensure there were no more threats before gunning it for the door. He'd barely gotten within reach of it however, when a sickeningly, familiar sensation hit him and the ninja crashed to the floor in front of the doorway.

Frustration and panic surged through him as an unfamiliar gang member stepped out from her hiding spot next to the door. He had been so close!

Wearily, Kennen raised his head to glare at the glowing stone held securely in new member's hands.

"Did you really think I would be so stupid as to leave the stone with someone so obvious?" the Bladewood leader rose shakily to his feet, checking on the rookie guard as he kept an eye on the downed yordle. "I may not be as skilled as you but I haven't gotten this far in my career by being stupid."

By this time, the dealer had also gotten to his feet, eyeing the stone with renewed interest. "Well, well," he said amiably to his partner, "That's an interesting rock you have there. Maybe we can make a new deal after all."

Rida smirked, "I'd be willing to negotiate."

Annoyance and uselessness were the last things Kennen felt before everything went black again.


	3. Words Unspoken

**Author's Note: Hi I'm back with a new chapter :). Hope everyone is doing well. **

**I gotta say, I was a little nervous about posting this chapter as it's a bit more mature than some of my other ones. As the characters are getting older my stories are getting more serious/mature - which makes sense - I just tend to overthink the gradual tonal shift a bit too much sometimes.**

**Anyway, enjoy :).**

* * *

The next few days were a blur to Kennen. All he had was a hazy recollection of dark colours and muffled noises as the floor of his small confines languidly swayed back and forth.

When the world finally sharpened back into clarity, the yordle let out a small groan. After so long in a state of inhibited awareness, his senses felt hyper-aware. He could distinctly feel the cold steel pressed against his back, the sickly-sweet smell of flowers mixed with some sort of cleaning product and the soft breathing of a couple of inhabitants, barely audible under the refined music of a large, ballroom piano.

As his brain registered the presence of others a sense of urgency pushed him to wake up faster, though he could not yet place why. Still, he shifted restlessly, trying to move his sluggish limbs as his eyes flew open. His sight was met with a high-vaulted ceiling; the finely detailed pictures painted there cut into sections by the now familiar bars of his cage.

The brightly lit chandelier above added to the overload of sensations, causing a headache to form and Kennen closed his eyes again. Slowly and with much effort, he rolled onto his stomach as a churning nausea in his gut made itself known. He rested there for a few minutes, the cool metal beneath him soothing the headache away. As his stomach settled down to a dull annoyance and his body finally came to terms with the influx of new information, the yordle pulled himself into a sitting position. As he did, he filed away the unfamiliar weight around his neck even as his attention was taken by his surroundings.

He found himself at one edge of a grandiose antechamber. Large columns with intricate designs rose around the outside of the room to support the patterned ceiling as their roots remained cemented in the dark marble floor. On one side of the room a great pair of varnished oak doors secured the entrance as, on the other, a wide, sweeping staircase led the way to the rest of the house. In the other corner of the room a grand piano stood proudly. Behind the instrument was a long-nosed man in butler outfit playing the lilting music for a tall, pale man in an expensive suit.

At his movement, the music stopped and the two men turned their attention onto him.

"Master Renard, it appears he's awake."

"Yes Owen. I can see that."

Kennen's posture became defensive as the Piltovian Aristocrat approached. Wary, but polite the yordle spoke up, "Where am I?"

"You are in my home, situated off the coast of the mainland in the Guardians Sea. I bought you from a rather shady Ionian merchant as a companion for my daughter, though you were unconscious during the transaction," the noble answered the question in a detached manner, more focused on checking the yordle for any sign of injury now that he was awake.

Even though the ninja could think of several arguments on the morality and legality in purchasing a sentient creature regardless of the intent, Kennen decided to cut to the most effective disputation of ownership. "I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding Sir. You see I'm-"

"Silence."

Kennen's voice cut off mid-sentence at the aristocrat's command. The yordle felt a rising horror as he felt magic tightening around his throat and physically restricting him from vocalising another word.

"I am well aware of your allegiance to the Kinkou and the supposed importance of the duty you undertake."

The hazel yordle raised an eyebrow at the statement, suspicion needling unsettlingly at the back of his mind that this was not headed in a good direction.

"It is truly regrettable. And I have already made my displeasure known to the dealer over his choice of specimen," the pale aristocrat turned, looking at him directly for the first time, though his resigned expression did nothing to ease Kennen's doubts, "as it has left me in a compromised position. You see, my daughter's birthday is tomorrow. Thus I do not have time to procure a replacement for you. And while I do lament pulling you from your job, I doubt that it will be impossible for your clan to manage without you. Therefore, you shall remain within my custody for the foreseeable future."

The sheer disbelief at the noble's clear knowledge and intellect but also his complete self-absorption floored the yordle. He was unable to come up with a response even if he'd been able to voice it.

So he simply stared at the man as he continued in a brisk, business tone, "Now, in order to ensure things continue smoothly, I suppose you deserve an explanation as to why you were chosen and what is expected of you. Let's start from the beginning. You see, I put a lot of thought into an ideal companion for my daughter. I ultimately decided on a yordle as they are naturally benevolent and social creatures. Your short and furry features make you cute and approachable and your sentience and intelligence means you can handle more complex orders, making you more ideal companions than any robot or other creature could ever be. Yet your race is far from perfect. Yordles can be unpredictable, disobedient and … chatty. Which is why I came up with a solution. That collar."

At his words, Kennen once more became aware of the constricting device around his neck. Irritation stirred within him but all he could do was glare at the aristocrat as he continued on his spiel, hoping that the information he was spouting off could help him plan around the incumbent device.

"It's an invention of my own design using cutting-edge, hextech technology and keyed to my DNA signature," the noble continued proudly. "The fundamentals would be much too complicated for you to understand, but suffice it to say, any being bound by it must automatically and permanently obey any command I give them, as I'm sure the demonstration earlier suitably proved."

The cold dread from earlier redoubled within the ninja. Not just from the situation he found himself in but also from the ethical and frankly serious problems technology like that could cause if it became wide-spread. However, not for the first time, the noble seemed to know what he was thinking.

"Don't worry. I'm well aware of the complications such technology could bring. There are many unscrupulous people with no morals in this world who could bring about devastating chaos should the technology ever make its way into their possession. Which is why I have ensured all of the necessary precautions. I'm not a monster after all. That device is the only functioning prototype and on top of that, all of my notes are heavily encrypted and the only people aware of its existence are those on this island."

Satisfied he had explained all of the necessary background information the yordle required, Renard turned promptly back to towards him, clasping his hands together. "Now. Since that's taken care of. Let's lay down some ground rules during your stay." He said as if Kennen had a choice in the matter. "You will obey all commands given by my daughter unless it goes directly against one of my own. You will not attack anyone of this household and will protect us from any who would do us harm. Should you have to choose _always_ protect my daughter. You will protect her to the best of your ability from _any_ harm that may befall her. Next. You are not to try and escape or to initiate rescue. Should you be taken by someone else you are to do all in your power to make your way back here. You will not try to remove the collar or let anyone but myself attempt to. You will not speak or attempt any written communication. You are not to let on that you are anything more than a pet to my daughter. And lastly, due to the unpredictable and dangerous nature of your magic, you are not to use your electrical abilities – yes I am aware of them – except in life-threatening circumstances."

A bunch of profanities sprang to mind but all Kennen could manage was a frustrated growl. This man had obviously giving this a lot of thought as he had managed to effectively close all of the loopholes the ninja could find. Which meant that not only was he stuck in this situation until Shen and Akali found him and somehow managed to convince the jerk to let him go, but acting as a pet no less.

The man clapped his hands together, summoning the butler, who up until now had been passively waiting over by the piano. "Now, time is running short. Owen make sure he's presentable. And you," he addressed the yordle flippantly as he turned away, "don't cause any trouble."

Kennen stewed in his anger and haplessness as the door to his cage was opened and he could do nothing as he was carried away. He glared at the retreating back of the aristocrat, swearing that when he got out of this he was shoving one of his shuriken in a place that would remind Renard everyday why no one messed with the Kinkou.

Over the next couple of hours, the murderous intent of the yordle only grew as he was subjected to the humiliating ordeal that came next.

His fur was washed and groomed to perfection, removing any and all trace of the last few gruelling months of travel. That, in and of itself, was almost a relief. _Almost._ It would have been a lot more relaxing however, had he been able to do it himself. He also would have felt better had they left him some clothes afterwards rather than just attaching a ribbon round his neck and stuffing him in a box. When all was said and done, he would be dishing out some vengeance equal to the amount of damage his pride was currently taking.

Left as he was in a box in an unknown area, his ears immediately perked up when he heard the sound of voices approaching. They were slightly muffled due to the wrapping around him but articulate nonetheless.

"Daddy!" a clear, sweet voice chimed from across the room.

"Happy Birthday my Sweetpea," came the aristocrat's much softer words. "I got you something very special this year. Why don't you open it."

There was an excited patter of footsteps before the box was torn open, allowing the yordle to squint up at the bright opening. A human child, no older than six, with fair skin and dark-brown hair pulled back in a neat braid looked down at him. Her large, brown eyes sparkled in awe as a blinding smile lit up her face at the sight of him.

Kennen felt his heart plummet. Things had just gotten more complicated.

* * *

Shen walked through the paths of their new home, his pace leisurely but his path direct. The simple thatched houses and modest gardens were a far cry from the ancient grandeur of the old monastery but most of Kinkou weren't materialistic enough to care. What hurt more was the loss it represented: of a battle lost, of the home cast out from, and of the people forever taken too soon. It was a reminder of how far their once proud clan had fallen and of the massive responsibility left for those who remained.

A reminder just like the more personal, ethereal weight Shen now carried with him everywhere. The weight of the spiritual sword and the task that had been handed to him by his father mere weeks before Zed's attack.

The few citizens around nodded to the ninja as he passed but didn't engage him further. Shen returned their greetings but his pace never slowed. Not even as he passed the small grove where Haybai and Nemr were huddled together. Better to let them sort their emotions out in private; especially given that his most recent conversation with them had been about the kidnapping of their good friend. No, he doubted his presence would be sought after that.

Finally, his journey brought him to the new training grounds where, as expected, Akali was aggressively destroying targets.

He paused for a moment at the entrance, watching her perform a graceful roundhouse. The deadly ninja's foot connected solidly with the dummy in front of the her at the same time as her extended kama sliced cleanly through the one behind, before she backflipped away. At the apex of her jump, she tossed a trio of kunai, impaling another three wooden targets.

"If you keep this up, there won't be any salvageable targets left," Shen spoke up.

Akali ignored his comment, never pausing in her movements as she completed a handspring to land next to him.

"Is Ming ready?" the green-clad woman asked expectantly.

Shen shook his head, "No. He is still resting."

The female made an unimpressed sound in the back of her throat as she started back towards the remaining dummies. "How much more time does he need?"

The blue-clad ninja kept pace behind her.

"Patience. He's the only one left who can open portals and he's been overworked for weeks. It'll take time for him to recover the magic he's lost. As soon as he is able, he'll open a portal to Kashuri for us."

"I know," Akali ground out, her hands tightening on her weapons, "but every moment we waste here is a moment we cannot afford. Damn it Shen! It's already been a week! Even if we left now, picking up Kennen's trail is going to take at least ten times as long as it would have. And we still have no idea why they wanted him! I refuse to lose anyone else while I do nothing."

"Akali," the Eye of Twilight's voice was soft as he addressed his partner's back, "you are not the only one worried about him. Nor were you the only one to lose someone close in the attack."

That was where the heart of the issue lay. The hurt and the grief caused by losing someone so close so suddenly. They hadn't talked about it – there hadn't been time – but after years of working together Shen could easily see just how much the fallout had affected the lethal ninja. Tahno had been a loving parent and loyal member of the clan who had fallen to ensure so many more could escape. It should have been a decision to be proud off. An honourable death. But instead all it filled Akali with was grief and anger. Anger at Zed for his attack, anger at her parent who had selflessly given their life away and anger at herself for not being able to do more with her position as the Fist of Shadow to protect her home and her people.

At his words she rounded on him. "At least I act like it!"

Both Ionians stiffened; a chill hardened the air between them in the wake of the words.

Akali looked away so he couldn't see her face. "Shen. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that."

The blue ninja let out a slow breath. "It is my duty as the Eye of Twilight to remain impartial and to not let my emotions cloud my judgement. But that does not mean I do not feel them. I too mourn the loss of my father. He was not perfect, but he was the only family I had left. However, I refuse to let my grief stop me from completing the role that he left me. I thought you of all people would understand that."

"It is not only blades that can cut deep in expert hands," the dark-haired woman said softly. It was the only heartfelt apology she knew how to make, but it was the only apology Shen needed.

With a sigh, he dropped a hand on her tense shoulder, "I know you're concerned but we will get him back."

Akali nodded but before she could say anything further, a young acolyte rounded the entrance. "Ah, Lord Shen. Mistress Akali," he bowed. "I was sent to inform you that Ming is ready for your departure."

The two ninjas exchanged a brief glance then quickly strode out the door. They had delayed long enough.

* * *

**I have to say: writing the ninjas out of their comfort zones is a lot of fun :D. Please read and review and I'll see you all in a couple of weeks!**


	4. The Innocence of Youth

**Author's Note: Back with a new chapter :). This one is pretty cute, I enjoyed writing it.**

* * *

Kennen watched in mild amusement as Marie scrunched up her face at the lesson in front of her; the young girl's brows furrowed together in a look of concentration far beyond her years. This was undermined, however, by the frequent glances she'd throw his way, delight and a hint of disbelief alighting her face each time.

It was entertainment the yordle was grateful for after being stuck, sitting in a corner all morning. The first thing he'd done after they had entered was to try to come up with a way out. However, after a frustrating half-hour of fruitless ideas and dead-ends, he'd given up on that and instead taken to watching the 6-year-old and her teacher.

The teacher (whom Kennen had quickly picked up to also be the girl's personal maid) was a petite woman with high cheekbones and wild, brown hair pulled hazardously back into a ponytail. She had a kind and gentle nature that shone prominently through as she patiently helped the girl with her studies. She never raised her voice and skillfully guided the child back on track without discouraging her curiosity. If the sympathetic look he'd caught her throw his way earlier was anything to go by, she may be a valuable ally to get him out of his predicament.

As for the girl, she was a little naïve and secluded, but was a very cheerful and curious child. She had asked endless questions during history and geography and absorbed all of the information about the outside world with child-like wonder.

Despite his unrelenting anger towards the nobleman, Kennen could not find it within himself to cast any of that blame onto his daughter. Especially given the looks of pure happiness she was continuously sent his way, uninhibited by any malicious intent or suspicion that he was anything other than what he had been presented as.

As the girl glanced once more at the yordle, the teacher sighed. Shaking her head with a rueful smile she addressed the distracted child. "Why don't we cut the lesson short today, Marie. You seem too excited to concentrate anyway, so you might as well take your new friend out into the garden to play."

"Really?" Marie's face lit up. "Thank you, Elaine! I promise I'll study extra hard tomorrow!" She launched herself at the woman, hugging her around the knees before skipping back to the yordle. "Come on Fuzzy! Let's go outside!"

Kennen scowled to himself at the mention of his new 'name' but couldn't do much more than follow the human child. At least it was a reprieve from doing nothing.

She led the two of them along hallways and down the grand staircase until they came to the large set of entrance doors. There, she struggled a little with the weight of them, but stubbornly kept at it until they started to move. Slowly the doors opened to reveal a breath-taking expanse of rolling green grass, dotted here and there with wide oak trees and colourful flower gardens. Both sides of the open field were enclosed with well-trimmed hedges, broken up by carved archways that enticed the viewer to see the beauty and mystery beyond. And along the back of the entire thing, was a massive stone wall that was covered in green vines. It naturally complimented the aesthetic of the garden; creating a peaceful, secluded feeling while still being just short enough to provide a view of the ocean from the top of the steps.

Once they reached the field, Marie immediately started searching the grass. The intent expression she wore once again amused Kennen, given how trivial the matter truly was. He couldn't help but smile at the gleeful look of success that filled the child's face when she located a colourful ball lying nestled amongst the roots of a large oak tree.

Running back over to him, Marie held it out for him to see. "Elaine told me her daddy's hounds always needed exercise when she was a child. I don't know if yordles are the same but it can't have been nice to sit still for _hours_ while I was studying. So let's play fetch! Fetch!"

The bright ball soared through the air to land with a soft plop only a few meters away.

Even if the collar's magic wasn't urging him to obey, Kennen would have humoured her once the bright expectation filled her brown eyes. He trotted over to the ball before scooping it up and returning it to her.

A look of confusion pulled the dark-haired girl's face into a pout. "Elaine said her doggies brought it back in their mouths."

Kennen gave her an unimpressed look as he dropped it at her feet. He was not carrying that thing in his mouth. His dignity may be taking a massive blow throughout this ordeal but it hadn't dropped that far.

"I guess yordles are different. After all dogs don't have hands." With a shrug, Marie brushed the topic aside before throwing the ball again.

This process repeated itself for a time and while he didn't want to admit it, the yordle found that he was having fun. The exercise provided a nice outlet for some of his built up energy – even if her diminutive throws didn't provide much of an opportunity to push his limits. However, he made up for that with silly antics each time he collected the ball, enjoying the laughter it generated.

It had been quite a long time since he'd done something purely for the fun of it. Since before he'd joined the Kinkou really, he realised wistfully. Most of the time, it felt like his job was too important to spend time generating laughter and excitement in those around him but perhaps, when this was all over, he'd have to restart his pranks. Heaven knows the clan could use something to raise their spirits right now – even if they might not appreciate all of his jokes.

"Hoy thar' Miss Marie. An' wha' migh' ya be doing 'ere on this fine mornin'?" The duo turned to see a broad, tanned man strolling towards them, twinkling blue eyes and easy-going smile belaying his gruff tone. From the soil on his hands and the tools on his belt, Kennen easily deduced that this was the gardener.

"Ben," Marie's face lit up with a smile. "I'm playing fetch with Fuzzy!" She pointed to the yordle, causing the big man's face to fall briefly. To Kennen's trained eyes, he could tell that the broad smile Ben gave the girl was fake, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Aye, were ya lass? Ya min' if ay give it a go? It jus' tha' 'e migh' like a bit more of a challenge than yer wee arms can provide." He gently flexed one of her arms in show, his giant hands dwarfing her tiny appendage and causing her to giggle.

"Sure." She plopped the ball down in his hands.

Kennen's ears drew upright in anticipation as the big man's arm pulled back. Utilising the strength of a lifetime working unruly plants back in order, he sent the ball hurtling across the open field.

As soon as the gardener let the ball go, the yordle raced after it, matching pace with the projectile. As it descended from its apex, the brown yordle twisted and caught the ball before shooting back the way he had come. He reached the humans seconds later, adrenaline coursing through his system.

It may not be as fast as he could go using his electrical abilities, but it was still refreshing to push his physical limits with a non-threatening challenge. Marie's squeals of delight were just the icing on the cake.

"Again! Again!" she called out, bouncing excitedly; her braid and the hem of her oversized skirt bounced out-of-sync with her motion.

With a grin, Ben threw the ball again and once more Kennen raced it along its trajectory.

After a while, the ordeal he'd recently been through began to take its toll on the yordle. The aftereffects of the anti-magic stone had greatly reduced his stamina and the drug the supplier had used to keep him under was now churning his stomach.

Noticing the gradual fatigue of their most recent addition, the gardener placed a placating hand on the girl's head to stop her chanting for more.

"Alrigh' Marie, ay think tha's enough fer now."

"Aw," she pouted, turning her sad eyes up on the big man but he just laughed at her.

"Sorry little lady, but yer new friend looks a wee bit tired and a 'ave a job ter get back ter. But yer a brigh' lass, I'm sure ya'll find somethin' fun ter do. Besides, it's not long till lunch now."

Suddenly Marie's face lit up with mischievous intent, causing the gardener to eye her warily.

"Now don' ya be findin' any trouble young lady."

"But Ben," the girl turned her oh-so-innocent eyes on him, "a lady never gets into trouble."

At her words, the big man let out a roar of laughter.

"Fine lass," he grinned. "Then try not ter get caugh'."

With a wave and a grin, Marie pulled the yordle away as Ben went back to gardening. The young girl dragged her equally small companion along the side of the mansion before coming to a stop next to a large, blooming hedge.

"Do you like cupcakes?" she asked, causing Kennen's ears to perk up before he was aware he'd done it. Yordles were notorious for their sweet-tooth and Kennen was no exception; even if it had been a while since he'd had the traditional mainland dessert.

With an impish grin, Marie put fingers to her lips before pulling some of the branches back and exposing a loose grate.

"I found these ages ago, they lead all over the house. This one is my favourite because it leads to the kitchens. But we have to be _really _quiet so we don't get caught."

With that, she pulled the grate off and climbed into the duct. After a moment of brief hesitation, Kennen followed her, gently pulling the grate back in place behind them.

For the two small occupants, the duct was pretty spacious; it wasn't tall enough for them to stand up straight but it did provide enough space for them to not have to crawl. With confidence, Marie led them through the turns to the basement kitchens. Amused, the yordle wondered just how often she had done this.

Soon they came to the grate that granted them a view of the large, underground kitchens along with the bustling workers. Hidden by the grate, they waited until no one was looking in their direction before Marie carefully removed the grate and slid down behind the counter. Kennen followed, dropping silently next to her so she could replace the cover. A hassled-looking worker rushed over in their direction causing the duo to duck down behind their cover until the worker had rushed past.

Ever so carefully, the child led them in a bizarre game of hide-and-seek over to a stack of freshly baked cupcakes. While the chef wasn't looking, tiny hands darted up and pulled back two delicious, frosted treats.

Brown eyes shimmering with excitement, Marie grinned at her companion before they began their sneaky journey back to the escape route. Halfway there, however, an angered shout alerted them that they're actions had been discovered. Kennen glanced back to see the chef fuming over the tray.

"Marie!" she shouted, red-faced. "I know you're here! Return those cupcakes right this instant young lady!"

"Run!" the girl shrieked as she bolted for the door. Kennen was right on her heels as they dodged seeking hands and bewildered kitchen workers.

As they made it out the door and to freedom, they heard the chef's last despairing cry of, "This isn't how young ladies are supposed to behave!"

Laughing giddily, Marie's pace did not slow until the two of them were back outside and safely sequestered in the gardens.

"Don't worry," she told him as they sat behind a statue with their stolen treasures, "Henny's pretty sweet but she doesn't like it when I take sweets before meals. She says it'll ruin my appetite and won't let me have any dessert. But today is my birthday so she might let us have more tonight."

She handed the yordle one of the cupcakes before daintily nibbling on her own. Kennen admired the creamy, white frosting and colourful flowers painstakingly added to the top before his hunger reasserted itself. It was a deep gnawing in his gut that demanded to finally get attention after his fast on the boat trip over. Without hesitation, the hazel yordle wolfed the treat down, causing the child next to him to jump.

"Guess all that running made you hungry," she grinned. "Come on, lunch will be ready soon."

She took his hand and they wandered back to the house.

They found a hassled looking Elaine at the bottom of the main staircase and when she saw the pair she crossed her arms. "Marie Renard, what have you been up to?"

Marie gave the woman an innocent grin, "Nothing."

The skeptical look on the maid's face didn't change. "Uh huh. Then why do you have icing on your nose?"

She grabbed out her handkerchief and carefully wiped the bright, pink frosting off.

"You know Henrietta makes a fuss when you take from her."

"It's not my fault. Fuzzy was hungry!" the girl pleaded, pointing to the indignant yordle.

"Sure he was," the maid sighed, shaking her head fondly. "Come on before your food gets cold."

* * *

"And so the princess and the wolf went to the Rock King, hoping to free all of the fairies' cakes-"

Later that evening found Kennen seated next to Marie on her large, fluffy bed. The two were surrounded by teddies as the girl animatedly read from the storybook in front of them – one that only remotely had anything to do with said story the girl was telling.

Across the room, Elaine was folding the girl's clothes and carefully clearing away the mess that had been made that day.

"-not unless you can pass my very hard and deadly tests,' the mean king boomed."

A soft knock on the door stopped all activity as the nobleman stepped into the room.

"Daddy!" the little girl cried out, waving from her spot amongst the mounds of pillows.

The older Piltovern noble returned her bright smile but then hesitated as his eyes landed on the yordle. Kennen glared back at the man, his eyes narrowed into deadly slits.

"Marie,'' he said in a gentle but stern voice, "pets don't belong on the bed." Unceremoniously he dumped the yordle off the mattress. "Now off to bed with you."

Kennen growled at the man but could do little else but settle in the lavish (but still quite small) box of pillows set up for him.

Satisfied, the noble scooped up his daughter, causing her to let out a peal of laughter. "Now my little princess, did you have a nice day?"

"Uh huh," she grinned. "Elaine got me this pretty necklace and Ben helped my throw the ball for Fuzzy _really _far and I got to eat so many cupcakes! It was the best day ever!"

He smiled, stroking her hair. "I'm so glad you had a nice time my angel."

She pulled the book over and held it towards the older man. "Can you read to me tonight?"

The aristocrat paused before shaking his head. "Not tonight darling. Daddy's got to make some calls. I'll read to you tomorrow."

Kennen noticed a disapproving scowl pull at the maid's face but she didn't say anything.

"Okay," disappointment dripped from the little girl's voice but she made no bigger fuss, simply giving the man a fierce hug and allowing him to leave.

As the door clicked shut, Elaine turned to the upset girl with a bright smile. "Are you ready for bed Marie?"

"I guess," the girl pouted before her face brightened. "Do we get to pray to the Protector and the Veiled Lady?"

Kennen raised an eyebrow at that. The winged sisters were part of the Demacian religion not from Piltover. He looked hard at the maid with renewed interest, taking notice of her high cheekbones and rigid posture – distinctly Demacian traits.

"Of course. Shall we start?" the girl nodded before crawling down to kneel next to the older woman, mimicking her head position.

"Dear Winged Sisters, thank you for this day. Thank you for keeping us safe and thank you for everything you have provided for us. Thank you that Marie had a wonderful birthday today and we pray that tomorrow will bring many wondrous memories and opportunities. We pray we can continue to grow in your ways and pay the good will you have sheltered and guided us in forward to those around us. We pray we always remain in your favour," the maid paused before adding softly, "Would you like to add anything Marie?"

The girl nodded eagerly, "Thank you for bringing Fuzzy into my life. I'm so happy to have a friend to play with now. Please help me take good care of him. Amen."

"Amen," Elaine softly echoed.

She gave the girl a gentle smile before tucking her under the covers.

"Good night Marie. Sweet dreams."

As she went to dowse the lamps, her eyes met Kennen's and as the lights went out he heard a barely audible, "I'm so sorry."

Minutes ticked by as Marie's breathing grew soft and but Kennen did not move, too busy trying to sort out the turmoil in his mind. Doubts, fears, duties and empathy all clashed and fought for attention until, with a frustrated sigh, he lay down in his small box. There would be no sleep for him tonight.

Just what had he gotten himself into?


	5. On the Trail

**Author's Note: Sorry this is late, I've been swamped under atm with a new job and wedding prep. I quite enjoyed writing this chapter though so I hope you all enjoy it :)!**

* * *

Shen and Akali restarted their search in the region outside of Kashuri. As the Fist of Shadow had rightly pointed out, the delay had destroyed all of the evidence from the scuffle but thankfully they had already deduced the likely destination of their foes. Instead of wasting unnecessary time scanning the area, the two ninjas headed for the nearby town, hoping to gain what information they could on the gang and their current stomping grounds.

Similarly, their journey over the mountain was slowed by their meticulous pursuit for information. Detouring through the smaller settlements along the way, it took them nine days before they finally found themselves in the port city of Zhyunia. While it was unlikely the Bladewood gang had stuck around in the city (especially given the time it had taken them to get there) the duo figured it was still the best place to gather information. After all, it was the last place the gang was known to be headed and their numerous detours had provided solid evidence that the gang frequented the area often, making it very likely that they had some sort of permanent base in the city. On top of all of that, if Kennen had escaped, this was almost certainly where he would be hiding.

Akali wrinkled her nose at the smell of rotting fish and salt that seemed to permeate the entire city before turning to her companion with a raised eyebrow.

_What now?_ her expression clearly conveyed.

Shen answered her unspoken question, "In a city of this size we're better off splitting up. I'll cover the more 'official' route while you cover the streets. If Kennen has escaped, he'll have left a message for us to find him. Otherwise, I'm sure the locals will know something about the Bladewood's presence. Just, try not to terrorise them too much."

The green ninja bounced lightly on the balls of her feet, more than ready to take action. "No promises," she quipped. She could not fault their methodology so far. She knew from experience that time taken early to learn the patterns of the enemy would save them even more time later and, even if she didn't, she trusted her teammate's judgement. But it still put her on edge as she had to reign in her instincts until the time came to utilise them. "Meet back at the Lionturtle at ten?"

Shen nodded and the two parted to get to work.

* * *

The first place Shen checked out was to the city's medical centres, looking for anyone matching their companion's description or anyone with electrical injuries. It was the last place the ninja wanted to find the missing yordle, so when his search turned up nothing Shen didn't know whether to be relieved or concerned. Putting his unease aside, he continued to the peacekeepers' main office.

The short lady behind the desk startled when the Kinkou ninja entered, almost tripping over herself to help him when he explained why he was there. Stumbling over her words, she excused herself before returning with a large stack of scrolls.

"H-here's a copy of all the crimes the Bladewood gang has been linked to, as well as the ones they're thought to have been involved with," she told him. "It's a lot, I know. They're a nuisance to the city but most of what they do is too small for the department to bother with. I'm surprised the Kinkou are even interested in them."

She looked at the blue-clad ninja with curiousity before she realised what she was doing and turned away, red faced.

Shen just tilted his head towards her. "It seems they have become bolder in the aftermath of the war and are involved in something they shouldn't be," he explained briefly, giving the stout lady enough to be satisfied without revealing too much.

"Ah right," she responded. Still flustered, she handed the documentation over.

He thanked her before making his way out.

Since he knew Akali's work would take her late into the evening, the next place on Shen's list was the Lionturtle Inn. Once there, he booked a room for Akali and himself before he settled himself down at a corner table and began the long task of working his way through the information he'd been given. As he skimmed across the cases, he started to pick up patterns and a clearer picture of the gang's habits began to form.

Many hours passed before a disgruntled Akali sat down across from him.

"I take it things didn't go well," he said in a mild tone.

She ignored him, flagging down a waitress to order. Once the frog vastyan had left their table, she let out a long breath.

"Nothing," she finally answered. "I looked everywhere but there was no sign of him or the Bladewood Gang. And every lowlife and thug I interrogated was too low down the ladder to know anything of use. Please tell me you had more luck."

They both paused when the frog waitress came back with Akali's food.

"He wasn't at the medical centres," the blue ninja told her as he carefully turned the page, "and I haven't gotten through all of this information yet. However, if I was to hazard a guess, I'd say the best place for us to start looking would be down by the docks. It looks like they are on good terms with the gang that has territory down there."

"I already checked the docks," the green-clad female rebutted.

"All of them?" Shen queried, "What about the bigger ones near the centre of the harbour?"

Akali paused from her meal, sending him a probing look. "They have a base there?"

He nodded, scanning down the page before him. "I believe so. Most of their activity is tied to the outer edges of the port true, but there have been a few distinct, unsolved cases that match their style in the commercial area."

Akali finished her dumplings and set her bowl down with a decisive click. "We'll check it out tonight then."

* * *

The two ninjas dropped stealthily into the warehouse and paused, eyes and ears open for any security. However, just like the last two, the inside of the building was deserted. With a short nod to the other, they split up.

Akali silently slipped through the darkness of the cluttered store rooms. She took stock of the contents with a critical eye, storing the suspicious items to memory as she looked for any signs of live cargo or a scuffle.

Halfway through her search, the deadly female paused in one of the smaller rooms. Like the others, the walls of the store room were lined with crates, however, the middle of this one was strangely vacant. Akali took her time examining the room, combing every inch of it but her search found nothing of use. All she could find were some irregular scratches in the wooden floor and the faded sensation of strong magic.

With a sigh, the green-clad woman continued on. Before long, her investigation was complete and she made her way to the office Shen was searching.

He paused from shifting through records to ask softly, "Anything?"

Akali set herself up to guard the door as she answered, "I found several items that match those the Bladewood gang are known to have stolen so if this isn't their warehouse, then whoever owns it has some very strong ties to the gang. I also discovered signs of recent occupation and removed goods but there was no evidence that any of it involved Kennen."

"Interesting," the Eye of Twilight murmured. "The records imply that none of the supplies in this warehouse have been moved for at least six weeks."

His companion shrugged, well aware of what he was insinuating but frustrated none-the-less. "Alright fine. So let's say Kennen was here," she argued. "That won't do us any good unless we can work out where either he or the Bladewoods went. And so far I haven't been able to find anything."

Shen didn't respond, merely staring at the page in front of him in deep thought. Suddenly, he straightened as a hunch struck him. "Akali, have a look at this. Can you tell me which of these items match up with the illegal goods you found?"

Akali took the page from Shen. Though the descriptions were vague and unassuming she immediately spotted a handful that matched up with what she had found. Unsure where this was going, she pointed them out.

"I suspected as much," Shen nodded. "I noticed a discrepancy earlier, where several of the items on the export list weren't on the import one. They were generally small in number and spread out enough that it initially looked like an error but there were still enough to draw my attention. And it just so happens that they include all of the ones you just pointed out."

"It's a code," the female realised.

"Not a very good one," the blue ninja affirmed. "The Bladewood gang has always been too cocky for their own good. It never mattered when they were small enough to overlook, but now its left us a paper-trail to follow. With this narrowed down list, we should be able to determine their next destination." He scanned down the articles left, trying to match them with his knowledge of the gang. As he did, one of the items pulled his attention. "Jyom Pass, that's where they'll be."

* * *

Soji Rida felt a sense of smug satisfaction as he surveyed their latest 'purchase': a valuable golem totem integral to the Blossom Festival of the Zhyun region. His gang had consolidated a lot of ground in the wake of the Noxian Invasion and now they were in the big leagues. As far as he was concerned, things were looking up.

His self-congratulation was broken as a cacophony of shouts and crashes made itself known, quickly coming closer. Instantly, his weapon was in his hands as the door to the warehouse was flung open. The leader's sword ended up inches from the figure in the doorway before he recognised the familiar face of Hojin and he pulled his strike. That was all the opportunity needed for the figure behind to shove the witless member into him, knocking them both over.

The green-clad ninja wasted no time leaping for the other shell-shocked members, systematically taking them out with ease. The lithe figure of his second-in-command dropped down behind the unsuspecting female but her back-stab was blocked by the sudden appearance of the ninja's companion.

Rida cursed to himself as he pushed his dazed underling off of him. He knew his gang was no match for the ninjas. The only reason they'd won before was due to the element of surprise and a cut and run strategy. They'd been banking on the fact that the clan would be too spread thin to pursue them, giving them the chance to lay low for a while. He had not expected them to track the gang all the way out here. None-the-less, he was not about to go down without a fight.

Before the gang leader could grab his weapon however, the female ninja had him by the front of his shirt, dragging him up to eye level and placing her kama against his throat.

"Where is he?" The cold steel of her blade and the matching steel in her dark, ruthless eyes told him that she had no qualms killing him should she not like his response.

Ever the masochist, Rida just leered at her. "You're going to have to be more specific."

Though her mask concealed her scowl, it did not hide the snarl that sounded as her blade pressed slightly deeper into his exposed throat, causing a thin line of blood to dribble from the conjunction. "Our teammate. The yordle you kidnapped when you ambushed us. Where is he?"

"Oh him," he feigned surprise. "He's not here."

"Then. Where. Is. He?" she ground out.

The Bladewood leader sneered in the ninja's face. "Why would I tell you? After all, what are you going to do if don't answer? Kill me? Then what?"

Her expression shifted ever so slightly, becoming colder and somehow even more terrifying (though the anger burning in her eyes remained). The pressure at his throat lessened but didn't disappear. "Oh please. You and I both know there are many ways I could get the information without killing you."

Rida had to suppress the shiver of fear that rose within him, schooling his features. "Do your worst."

"Rida!" the young gang member called out as he finally came to long enough to work out what was happening. The Bladewood leader sent him a glare but the young Ionian ignored it as he rushed unarmed at the green ninja.

Before he even reached her, the blue-clad male was in the way, knocking the teenager over and pinning him to the ground.

"Let him go!" he yelled out, struggling under the weight.

"Hojin stop," Rida ordered him emotionlessly.

"But Uncle-" the young man started but the older man cut him off with a harsher response.

"You know the rules. We never sell out a customer. No matter what."

Conflict warred over the teenager's face despite his uncle's words.

Spotting the opening, Shen gently loosened his hold on the young Ionian. "It doesn't have to be this way. We have no interest in the affairs of your gang. We simply wish to find our companion. If you give us that information, I promise that no further harm will come to you or your uncle by our hands."

Hesitant, Hojin regarded him questioningly. "You promise?"

The blue ninja nodded.

''Hojin no!" Rida called out but it was his nephew's turn to ignore him.

"We sold him to a Merchant in Zhyunia," he said, his voice wavering but determined. "Horace, Captain of the Lucky Lucinda. You'll find him frequenting the Snuggly Duckling in Raikkon."

Shen nodded to Akali, who reluctantly lowered her kama. Before the gang leader could even think about going for the knife in his boot, she swiftly drove two of her kunai through his clothes and into the wall behind him, anchoring him there. Similarly, Shen secured the young Ionian to a nearby crate.

"What are you doing?" he panicked. "You said-"

"That no harm would come to you," the Eye of Twilight overrode him calmly. "It will not. But we will be alerting the council to the location of their missing totem along with the other unorthodox items in your warehouse in Zhyunia. Take it as a warning not to obstruct us in the future. Next time we won't be so forgiving."

With those last ominous words, the two ninjas disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

**And things are starting to come together :)! Life is starting to get back to normal so the next chapter should be on time. Should. I make no promises :P. **

**Until next time!**


	6. Heartache

**Author's Note: Hi all, bit of a shorter chapter this time. I had another section planned to add to this but it ended up too long and I was worried about getting it all typed up in time. Hope you enjoy regardless.**

* * *

Prenoon sunlight poured in through the tall window panes of the mansion's second-story room, illuminating Marie and her teacher as they worked diligently on the girl's school work. In the corner, the yordle lay curled up and dozing. Too restless to sleep well at night, he often found himself up until the early hours of the morning, mulling over his constrained situation.

His latent electrical abilities weren't helping matters either. After the effects of the magic-nullifying stone had eventually worn off, the power had grown to uncomfortable levels. Playing fetch with Ben and Marie almost every day alleviated the worst of the energy. But he could still feel it crackling under the surface, chained in check by the magic of the collar and making it hard to remain still.

And so, after nights of sleeplessness, he had fallen into routine of napping through the morning lessons. A combination of sheer exhaustion, the dull rhythmic nature of the two human occupants and the warm sunlight streaming through the open windows was the only thing capable of lulling the wary yordle into a half-state of sleep. However, his mind was still alert enough to snap to attention when the unfamiliar sound of the door opening met his ears.

The hazel yordle jerked to his feet, eyes narrowing in on the nobleman as he entered the room. He had not seen the aristocrat much during the weeks he had been here, but he had also gotten the impression that this was normal behaviour.

"Hi daddy!" Marie chirped excitedly when she caught sight of him.

"Hello sweetie," he gave her a soft smile before turning to the fair-skinned teacher. "Elaine, would you mind if I took Marie for a few hours?"

"We were in the middle of lessons," she huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

"Yes, yes. I'm aware of how important learning is," he muttered in an offhand manner as he drew the young girl into his arms. Marie giggled from her tall perch. "But I'll be heading to Piltover for a few days and wanted to spend some time with her before I go."

The child's high voice pulled their attention before Elaine could answer. "Are you leaving?"

Gently, he lent forward until their foreheads were touching. "Only for a little while my princess. There are some things I need to deal with in person and not over the wire before I can return."

"Ok," Marie answered in a small voice.

"But that means we get to spend the rest of the day together!" he swung her up and back into him, causing the little girl to laugh, forgetting her sadness (if only briefly).

"Elaine," he turned to the still frustrated maid. "I'll take Marie from here. You're free to take the rest of the day off." The aristocrat paused as his attention met with the yordle's, staring each other down for a brief moment. "Oh, and take him with you. Make sure he gets fed and doesn't get into trouble."

Before the maid could get another word in, Renard was already out of the room and the door shut with a finalising click that was obnoxiously loud in the tense air left behind.

The frizzy-haired woman let out an explosive rant. "He always does this! So what if he doesn't spend enough time with her normally. So what if she needs some sort of sense of normality and stability. No, the rules don't apply to him!" Breathing heavily through her nose she stopped and took in a long, deep breath before turning to the still wary yordle. "Guess you're with me."

He gave her a shrug, unable to do much more in the situation they had been left in.

She sighed, "Come on then."

Taking her cue, Kennen followed the woman down the stairs and into the servants dining room just off the side of the kitchen. Over the top of the partition, they could see the kitchen workers scurrying about with their work, but other than a quick greeting, Elaine paid them no mind.

"Are you hungry?" she asked the hazel yordle.

He gave a quick nod and she smiled.

"Do you like Shepherd's Pie?" Another nod. "Alright, if you want to sit down, I'll be back with our lunch in a moment."

The tall woman briskly walked out into the kitchen, navigating through the bustle with ease as she efficiently scooped up two plates of food. Meanwhile, Kennen turned to the table before hesitating. The concept of sitting at a table suddenly felt foreign to the yordle. He had not been allowed to eat at one the entire time he had been on this island, forced to act like the pet he was imitating. But Marie was not currently here, and so the collar was not inhibiting him from acting like a normal yordle. And so, with that in mind, he deliberately sat himself down at the simple piece of furniture.

Minutes later, Elaine returned and placed his meal down, before joining him with her own food.

Once more, it took Kennen a few seconds to remember that he could use the cutlery presented before him, and once more, he made a conscious decision to use them, awkwardly eating his meal. All the while he could feel the Demacian's watchful eyes on him. She didn't say anything about his technique, however. She just let out a soft sigh before she spoke up.

"I know it doesn't change what is happening, but I truly am sorry for what Renard has done to you. I knew he had changed but I never expected him to go this far."

The yordle looked up at her in surprise and curiosity. Catching her eye, he pointed up in the vague direction of the man's office before shrugging.

Despite the lack of words, the maid seemed to understand his question.

"He changed a lot after his wife died," she said softly. "Don't get me wrong, he's always been a bit entitled and condescending – his upbringing I suspect – but before it was tempered by an almost naïve curiosity. And Lilly too. She was so headstrong and kind and he would have done anything for her."

She drifted off into silence for a minute but seeing the yordle's curious eyes still glued to her she continued.

"Lilly was my best friend. We grew up in Demacia together. She came from a fairly prominent family there and I… well, I didn't. But that never stopped her from considering me any less than her. So when she moved to Piltover, of course I came with her. That's where she met Renard. I never really cared for him, but she was enamoured by his brilliance and charisma. Likewise, he was captivated by her beauty and her fiery personality."

Kennen watched her talk, drawn in to the story and the sheer, raw emotion in the Demacian's voice as she spoke.

"He and I tried to put aside our differences for her sake, but it wasn't until Marie was born that we started to truly get along."

Her voice quavered as she continued, "Unfortunately, not long after that there was an incident. A rival, jealous of Renard's success, ordered a hit on him. While the two were out for the night, they were attacked and in the ensuing fight, Lilly was killed."

Elaine cut off, blinking furiously for a long minute as she combatted her tears. Then her face became more determined and she pushed on.

"This place used to be their holiday home, but in his grief he moved everything here. He usually communicates with his company via the wire and yawpers. Only going to the mainland when absolutely necessary. But for Marie, this is all she knows. She's a beautiful child, so sweet and kind. She reminds me so much of my friend. But she gets so lonely here by herself all the time. She'll never say it, bless her soul. But you can tell just by watching her how much she desires company."

Yes, Kennen had noticed. For as bright and as cheerful and the girl usually was, he could see the longing on her face when the outside world was mentioned and the deep sadness (too sad for one so young) whenever her father was too busy for her. You could see she didn't understand – not really – but the absolute love and trust she put in the adults around her stayed her tongue on the matter. It was the biggest reason his thoughts had become so conflicted. Each moment around her endeared the girl to him more. But he also knew he could not stay forever. He too had a duty to uphold.

"I've tried for years to tell Renard that he couldn't keep her here. That she needed company from people her own age. I even convinced Marie to talk to him about being lonely. I just never expected… I never thought… I'm so, so sorry. It's my fault you're stuck here. I'm sorry!"

Her resolve broke and the woman buried her face in her hands. Tears streamed down her face as she incoherently mumbled, "I'm sorry," over and over again.

Kennen gave a soft sigh, getting out of his chair to put a gentle hand on her back. It was all he could do in the moment to let her know he didn't blame her.

* * *

The next day found Kennen and Marie in one of the secluded gardens. The six-year-old was playing a game of hop-scotch, hopping towards her stone with a dutiful (albeit wobblily) determination. Meanwhile, the yordle wandered around the small area. He wasn't really sure where he was going, just wanting to let off some restless energy as he pondered all he had learned the day before. Eventually, he paused in front of the statue poised in the centre of the courtyard, really looking at it. A simple glance at it immediately brought to mind the grand figures from the Demacian hall of heroes. Though much more life-sized than the massive statues of the west, the style was strikingly similar as was the white marble used. The female herself, had a serene smile on her face with her hands out-stretched while her long hair (pulled back in an intricate braid) and her dress bespoke of her stature of nobility.

"That's my mummy," Kennen turned to Marie as she came up beside him, looking up at the statue with a solemn expression. "She's not here anymore but Elaine says she's gone to a better place."

She shuffled, drawing her shoe through the dirt and leaving a line behind it. "She left when I was really little so I don't remember her, no matter how hard I try. But Elaine says she loved me very much. She tells me stories about her all the time. Just not in front of daddy because he doesn't like to talk about her. I think he misses her. Elaine too."

The little girl pulled her arms around herself, silent as she stared up into the benevolent statue's face.

"Can I tell you a secret?" she whispered, a quaver in her voice. "Sometimes I get angry at her. If she loved everyone so much why did she leave? It's because of her that daddy and Elaine are sad and fight. And daddy won't let me go anywhere because he's scared I'll leave too."

Her small hands scrunched up the fabric of her skirt. "It's not fair! I'd never do anything like that! I'd always come back."

The young girl's bottom lip wobbled as tears welled up in her large, brown eyes. "But what if she can't come back? Maybe she really wants to but she's lost or stuck. After all, Elaine and daddy aren't mad at her for leaving. Am I bad for being angry?"

The sheer vulnerability in the child's question tore at Kennen's heart. He wanted to tell her that it was alright to be angry; that it was completely natural to feel that way and that didn't make her a bad person. And he wished that he could explain that, sometimes no matter how much you loved someone, you had to leave them. But that didn't mean that you stopped thinking or caring about them. Sometimes life wasn't fair and you just had to make do with what you had been given.

Such as when you are unable to provide a hurting child any solace to her valid questions because you cannot communicate. So he did the only thing he could do. He nudged her gently and allowed her to throw her small arms around him; letting her cry silently into his fur as he produced a low purring noise many yordles used to comfort their young.

"I wish you could talk," she whispered.

_Me too,_ he wished internally.

As they sat there, the yordle's thoughts turned to his own family still living in Bandle City. It had been such a long time since he'd seen them last. He hadn't even been able to contact them since the war had started. His days had been so chaotic for so long, he hadn't had much time to think about them. But now all of those repressed feelings surged to the surface. He wondered how they were doing? His little brother would have graduated by now. Had his dad retired from the scouts yet (like he kept saying he would do)? How was his mum coping with an empty nest? Every thought and question made his heart ache with an intensity he hadn't felt since he had first left them.

After a while of his thoughts spiralling, the hazel yordle internally shook himself. It wouldn't help either of them to dwell on things they could not control. So he gently pulled himself from her grip, wiping the tears from her cheeks before covering his eyes in the way she had 'taught' him to do while playing hide-and-seek. A grin brightened her confused face and she immediately rushed off to hide as she screamed, "No peaking!"

* * *

**Emotional chapter. Seems everything's not so perfect on this perfect island. I'm glad that they could finally get some of these things off their chests but poor Kennen. He has enough to worry about without being everyone's personal therapy dog.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed it. And I'll see you all in a few weeks! :)**


	7. The Point of No Return

**Author's Note: Sorry for the late chapter. Life has been pretty busy. Hopefully I can make up for it with a longer chapter :).**

**Fiona K Sparrow: Not sure if you are keeping up to date with this or if you were just browsing, but since you left a guest review this is the best place for me to answer. Thank you for your advice. I was aware that it might be a bit hard to keep track of the order of the series but I didn't want to include it in the title since I thought it would make it a bit too cluttered. Instead, I decided to include the number in the story description and keep the series name in the title (to imply that it is a series). However, if you think this is not obvious enough I might go back and change the titles when I have a bit more free time. Thanks for the review!**

**Now onto the chapter!**

* * *

Horace pushed himself to the entrance of the local tavern, cheerily bidding the rowdy inhabitants he had spent the evening with farewell. As he opened the door, a cold rush of air hit the captain and he paused, blinking blearily in the crisp night, before he started amiably down the main street. As he went he spontaneously began to whistle a popular sea-shanty that rose to fill the quiet night, enjoying the way the sound reverberated through his fuzzy head.

He was about half-way down the long street when the subtle sensation of eyes on him caused the big man to turn around. All he saw, however, was an empty road – not another soul in sight. His revelry dwindled somewhat but he pushed the unease aside and started walking again. The feeling of eyes on him didn't disappear.

Finally, he made it to the end of the road and turned towards the docks. The sensation followed him still and subconsciously, Horace's pace picked up. His hand strayed to his hilt but, though he stayed on alert, nothing happened.

A loud crash sounded to his left, causing him to spin towards noise. A breath of relief left the big man as he watched a tabby skitter away from the pot plant it had obviously pushed from a window ledge. His heart still in his mouth and the mellow buzz of alcohol well and truly gone, the dealer decided it was high time he got back to his ship.

He took off, almost but not quite running the rest of the way down the eerily silent street, across the docks and finally onto his familiar ship. He ignored the shout of greeting from his night-watch and rushed straight to his quarters, slamming and locking the door behind him. He stood, sword angled towards the locked barricade in front of him, for several tense minutes before the brightly lit cabin brought his adrenaline in check.

A feeling of silliness swamped Horace and he lowered his sword. The moment the blade touched the wooden floor, however, a hand clamped around his mouth, muffling his surprised shout as a sword was levelled at his throat.

"Horace Edmond, we're here to talk. If you scream or try to alert anyone to our presence here you will be dead and we will be gone at least a minute before anyone can get to you. Do we have an understanding?"

The overweight captain meekly nodded his head and the blade disappeared. Gingerly he rubbed his throat as he turned to the intruders, freezing at the intimating sight of the two ninjas.

Quickly recovering, he put on a placating smile. "W-what can I do for you this fine night?"

Shen gave a quick nod to Akali and the green-clad female began to search the room. The ninja then turned his attention back to the cowardly dealer, noting his false smile and the surreptitious way he was watching Akali from the corner of his eye.

Hand still resting on the hilt of his sword, Shen asked him directly, "On the Eleventh of May you conducted a transaction with the Bladewood gang, correct."

It was posed as a query but it was anything but a question.

"Let me think. The eleventh? …the eleventh? That was five weeks ago right?" he dealer stalled, desperately trying to think of a way out of the current situation. As his hand strayed down to his scabbard, Shen minutely drew his own swords, the light 'schink' of metal on leather warning the captain that his actions had not gone unnoticed.

"Yes," he confirmed succinctly.

"Ah yes!" the trembling man swiftly brought his hands up to his chin. "I remember that deal. What about it?"

"There was a yordle amongst the goods you bought. Please confirm his appearance."

Horace shifted his gaze, glancing over at the female ninja still trawling through his possessions, as he muttered. "I don't really remember."

The ninja's attitude remained composed at the dealer's response. "Let's see if I can help you," he prompted. "He would have been an adolescent male; taller than average; with brown fur and cat like ears. And he was most likely wearing purple garb, similar to ours."

"T-that does sound familiar."

The eye of Twilight didn't bother to dwell on the words the shifty merchant was saying, instead focusing on his body language. The way he'd twitched uncomfortably during the description told him all he needed to know.

"Good," he nodded. "Now where is he?"

Sensing his first inkling of advantage in the entire conversation, the dealer's expression became sly.

"Well, to be honest, I'm not quite sure. We do so many deliveries. You can't really expect me to keep track of all of them from months ago." Here he paused, "although, perhaps we could come up with a mutually beneficial solution?"

Over the captain's shoulder, Akali stiffened. Initially Shen thought it was from the words spoken but when she turned around it became clear that her ire was directed at the folder in her hands.

"I think not," she ground out, causing Horace to jump at her unexpected proximity. She ignored him in favour of handing Shen the documents she'd found, eyes ablaze with repressed anger.

The blue ninja opened the folder and anger curled in his own gut. The first thing his eyes were drawn to, was the small square attached to the top corner of the page. The picture was dimly lit but it was easy for him to distinguish their missing companion. The yordle looked very small and vulnerable with a breathing mask (pumping something very clearly not oxygen) strapped to his face and tied down to the bottom of his cage.

Pushing down the fury, the ninja switched his attention to the details the document provided. Thankfully succinct, it gave them everything they needed to know. All but one thing. Shen turned his gaze back to the sweating man before him, "Where are the coordinates to the island mentioned?"

Under the burning stares of two very angry ninjas, Horace didn't even try to evade the question this time. "I-in the top draw of my desk. T-there's a hidden panel at the back."

Time seemed to stretch out for the poor dealer before Akali broke off her death glare to go search the draw. Sure enough, she soon gave an affirmative to her partner.

"W-what happens now?" the quivering merchant asked the warrior still before him.

Shen ignored him as the two ninjas held a brief and silent argument. Finally, Akali looked away, allowing the blue-clad ninja to address him.

"Now we go our separate ways to never cross paths again."

Relief washed over the captain and he nodded eagerly as the ninja casually strolled to the door. He didn't look back as he unlocked it and walked out. The other ninja reluctantly followed, glaring at him the whole way. In one hand she held the documents they'd come for while in the other she clutched the money from the transaction.

For a brief moment the dealer opened his mouth to argue but her darkening gaze cut him off before the first word was even out.

"We'll be taking this. Consider it compensation for all the trouble you've caused us." And with that she left, slamming the door behind her.

It took a few moments for Horace to realise he was alone before he sank to his knees. Next time Rida suggested a foolhardy scheme like this he was going to punch him in the face.

* * *

Kennen drew in a deep breath as he slowly began to clear his mind and let go. He started with his surroundings. First, he closed his eyes, blocking out the darkened room that was barely lit by the half-moon shining through the window. The sounds were next. The soft rustling of the trees, the intermittent hoots of an owl and the soft breaths of Marie, sound asleep in her bed, were all acknowledged and let go.

After that, things became harder. The low fuzziness that had steadily grown in the back of his mind was a relief to let go of, but the constant, alert edge of his instincts was a much larger struggle to release. It was becoming more of a fight every night to overcome it.

But soon, even that surrendered to the back of his mind. Which just left the tension of his magic coursing through him. He had always struggled to meditate through the restlessness of his natural abilities; however, the collar binding that power under the surface of his skin for weeks was not only unhelpful in that regard but almost painful. Still, he persevered, reaching an uneasy point of blankness.

He didn't know how long he was in that state-of-mind when his ears picked up a pair of voices approaching. They were doing their best to stay quiet (no doubt for the sleeping six-year-old's sake) but his ears had no trouble picking up the hushed whispers.

"I'm telling you Ben, things can't continue this way. We need to do something," Elaine's refined voice was easy to place. "He's been getting worse. The other day when we were alone he was struggling with basic table manners."

"Yer sure he's not jist a sloppy eater?" the gardener joked.

However, Elaine wasn't in the mood for the humour. "I'm serious. It's not just the food. There have been other things too: his conduct during lessons, his interactions with Marie. His behaviour is changing and I'm not even sure he's aware of it. If things don't change, I'm worried he might lose himself completely."

"Ah know," For the first time Kennen could recall hearing, the jovialness had dropped from Ben's voice. "But wha' can we do? Renard's not gonna change his mind and I don' know about yer but I don' fancy tryin' ter remove tha' collar from a ninja."

"There has to be something we can do," the frustration was easy to hear in the maid's voice. "Perhaps if I talked to Renard-"

Gently Ben cut her off. "It won't work. He didn' even listen ter Owen. Ain' no way he'll listen ter ya. Not while Marie still cares fer the lad. An' who can blame her. Anyone with eyes can see the lass is lonely."

The Demacian wasn't that willing to give up yet. "What if we told Marie. She's a smart girl, she'll understand why he can't stay."

"Yer do tha' an' he won't be the only one she has ter say goodbye ter. Any of us break Master Renard's trust like tha' and we won't be allowed ter stay. An' I'm sorry but I can't do tha' ter her an' neither can yer, not even in this situation."

The silence that followed his words was agonising, the woman unable to find the words to refute the gardener's point.

"Ah know things are bad Elaine, bu' ah can't see a way ter make 'em better withou' someone losin' a hand or a heart."

"This wouldn't even be an issue if he hadn't isolated his daughter from the rest of world!" she finally said, her voice rising slightly in her anger.

"There ain't the sayin' 'Love makes yer act crazy' fer no reason," Ben's humour returned to try and lighten the mood.

"But it's stupid," Elaine continued to vent, before consciously lowering her voice once more. "I know he wants to protect her, but what he's doing isn't helping. She's going to explore the world one day – whether he wants her to or not – and she not even going to know how the world works. She'll be vulnerable. And all because he can't let go of the past."

An unsettling silence once more descended between the two.

Eventually Ben let out a long sigh. "We'll talk ter Renard tomorrow. Ay doubt it will work, but maybe if we all confron' him he'll listen. Fer now we should git some sleep."

Their footsteps faded off, leaving Kennen once more in silence. He sat there in the dark, expression unreadable, as he dwelt on what he'd overheard. However, after a long moment, he too lay down to try and get some sleep.

_Shen, Akali, _he thought as he stared up at the starry sky, _you better get here soon._

* * *

Waves rolled against the front edge of the boat as it cut through them, expelling a strong salty odour of salt into crisp air. Shen stood at the stern of ship they had hired (with the money Akali had 'acquired'), ostensibly taking in the scenery. In realty his mind was hard at work trying to plan for what they would encounter at their destination. The biggest problem they faced was the lack of information they had to go on. Yes, they had a rough idea of the island's layout and the structures there, but they didn't know anything about the occupants, what their defences were like or Kennen's location or condition (they had yet to find out why he'd even been taken). And while he and Akali were skilled enough to tackle most odds, knowing how one's opposition operated was, most often than not, crucial to a successful mission. Unfortunately for the duo, they had no other choice but to go in blind. Therefore, he needed to consider every possible scenario.

That was where Akali found him, joining the blue ninja to quietly stare out at the horizon together. She too was restless – given away by the kunai rhythmically spinning in one hand.

After a while she ask quietly, "Do you think he's alright?"

Shen didn't know how to answer that. He wanted to say yes. Kennen was an excellent warrior more than capable of holding his own in most situations. But warring with that mindset was pure statistics. Too much time had passed. To have remained in enemy hands for so long, the odds were high he had sustained at least some damage (be that physical or mental). And while the yordle had been trained to withstand both, there was no way of knowing how badly off he was until they found him.

He shifted as the tops of trees began to grow on the horizon. "I guess we'll find out soon enough."

* * *

By the time the ship reached the island, it was late in the afternoon and the setting sun provided cover as they docked on a secluded beach. There Shen and Akali left the crew to secure the ship as they scouted ahead. They slipped in between the trees, their lengthening shadows providing excellent cover of their passage until the two came across an imposing, marble wall that prevented them from proceeding further inland.

Not even breaking stride, Akali quickly scaled a tree and cautiously checked the environment beyond. She was met by the sight of a secluded grove. Signalling a positive sign to her companion, the green-clad ninja silently dropped down on the other side. Shen followed shortly after and they began on again, if a little more cautiously now.

They navigated through the empty gardens, steadily heading closer to the mansion rising above the grounds. Soon, the murmur of voices reached them, causing the pair to stop at the edge of the courtyard they currently occupied. Carefully, Shen peered through the gate to the other side. All of the preparation he had done and all of the scenarios he had considered on the journey here however, could not prepare him for what he saw.

Beyond the gate, the enclosed gardens opened up on a large expanse of sweeping grass right up to the house's well-lit porch. A hodgepodge of cushions, blankets and toys was sprawled out on the veranda, cast out in a roughly circular pattern from a low seated table where a young girl – brown tresses in braid – was serving tea to the table's occupants. Dead centre amongst them, looking perfectly fine (if a little annoyed) and wearing a sparkly, pink dress, was Kennen.

Struck dumb by the absurd scene presented to him, Shen couldn't react causing an impatient Akali to look for herself.

"What?" she gaped aloud, years of training as well as countless more challenging and brutal missions were not enough to quell the outburst at the sheer ridiculousness of what they were seeing.

Shen noticed Kennen's ear swivel in their direction at the sound, but the yordle made no other move.

"Would you like some more tea, Princess Fuzzy?" the little girl asked him.

A maid patiently sewing to the side coughed into her hand in an obvious attempt to hide a laugh, prompting the disgruntled yordle to shoot her a glare as his cup was filled.

Now that the shock had worn off, Shen's mind went into overtime to breakdown the situation before them. At first glance it seemed innocuous enough, but something wasn't sitting right. There was no visible trauma or bonds holding their companion and yet he had made no attempt to escape, not even when he knew that they were here. Nor had he drawn any attention to , they were missing an important piece of information and until they figured that out, it was best not to draw attention to themselves.

With that in mind, the blue ninja tapped his companion to retreat for now.

* * *

Midnight found Kennen wide awake, once more restless and unable to sleep. However, unlike the previous nights, this time he had a specific reason for his restive behaviour. He knew he had heard Shen and Akali earlier this evening and, chances were, they would try to seek him out.

Meditation was a struggle tonight, but he had slowed his breathing regardless, at the very least, to try and settle his unruly nerves. There was no way to know how things were going to go now that his allies had arrived. Despite the comfort them being here brought, the yordle knew there was no guarantee that he would be able to communicate the situation to them. That meant that any wrong move may very well trigger the latent orders in the collar.

A soft tapping caused the ninja's eyes to open. Across from him Shen and Akali crouched on the ledge of one of the large windows. As he met their gaze, the female beckoned to him before casting a quick glance around them.

Kennen, however, couldn't move. Instead he tilted his head, allowing the moonlight beyond to strike the device shackled around his neck. His eyes drilled into the blue ninja, willing him to understand.

Realisation flashed across Shen's face and he nodded. His quiet voice reached Kennen's straining ears as he spoke to Akali, "It appears the collar is limiting his freedom somehow. We may be best off confronting the owner directly to avoid triggering any traps."

Reluctantly the two warriors left, sending one last reassuring glance behind them as they went. Left alone once more, Kennen closed his eyes to try and prepare himself for the trials tomorrow would no doubt bring.

* * *

**We're getting pretty close to the end of this arc now :D! How exciting!**

**Not sure if I'll have the next chapter up in time or not. Like I said at the start, things have gotten pretty busy for me lately and since a lot of that is work and wedding prep I can't exactly see it slowing down anytime soon. I will try my hardest to have it up on time though so wish me luck :D!**


	8. The Choices We Bear

**Author's Note: ...yeah, I know. The chapter is late again. But it's a long one at least! Hope it's satisfactory.**

* * *

That morning's lessons dragged on at an agonisingly slow pace for Kennen. Even as a child he had struggled to sit still during classes; so now, with the added stakes currently looming over him, he found it impossible. Instead of dozing in the corner like normal, the hazel yordle paced restlessly around the back of the room as adrenaline coursed through him.

His unusual behaviour had not gone unnoticed by either of the room's remaining occupants. Marie kept glancing up at him in unfettered curiosity while Elaine eyed him with a tense nervousness. Suffice it to say, not a lot of work was being done that fine morning.

Finally, the six-year-old stood up and approached him, "What is it Fuzzy?"

Not sure how to respond, Kennen automatically glanced out the window to the ship docked below. Even if he could speak, how would he even start to describe the growing anticipation, the excited faith and, of course, the overwhelming fear he felt over what was about to take place without him. It seemed words weren't necessary, however, as his action prompted the little girl to follow his gaze.

"A ship!" she gasped with delight. "Visitors! We _never_ get visitors! Come on, let's check it out!"

The girl was out of the room quick as a shot, Kennen shot on her heels.

"Wait!" he heard Elaine cry out but the pair was already gone.

Marie raced down the stairs with an excited patter of feet, only stopping once they'd reached the second floor balcony. She pressed her face up against the large pane that overlooked the dock, eyes wide with wonder at the sight of the large, Ionian vessel anchored there. Its crisp, white sails billowed in the breeze as the workers scurried across the naturally-shaped hull to pull them down.

"Wow," the girl breathed.

"Marie! Marie, come here right this instant, young lady!" the maid's frantic voice drifted down to the pair but for once the child didn't listen.

Curiosity overcoming obedience, she gestured the yordle on further. She quickly located a vent opening and the two began their journey into the house's labyrinth of ducts, sealing their way behind them. As adept as they'd become at navigating the artificial tunnels, it wasn't long before voices began to guide their way and the two small beings found themselves overlooking the Aristocrat's large study.

Kennen felt his stomach lurch at the sight of Shen and Akali sitting around a small table. The female ninja was obviously tense, seated on the edge of her chair. Shen, meanwhile, was ostensibly more relaxed as he cradled a steaming cup of tea.

"I'm sorry for the delay," Renard gave the two ninja's a charming smile as he sat himself opposite them, "but your visit was most unexpected. Now, what brings the Kinkou to my humble home?"

Akali scowled as she muttered under her breath, "Humble? It's a mansion on a private island."

Renard's sharp ears overheard her. "Turn of phrase," he explained demurely, though his smile didn't reach quite as far as before. "I make a decent living and prefer my privacy."

"We will try not to take up too much of your time then," the blue ninja said in a placating manner, "as I believe all of us would prefer for this to be a quick and simple matter. We're here to look for our-"

The conversation was cut short as a frantic looking Elaine abruptly entered. "I'm sorry for interrupting sir," she said with what looked like a half-hearted curtsey, "but I cannot find Marie."

"What!" the Aristocrat roared as the room's occupants all came to their feet.

"She ran off when she saw the ship! I'm worried she might try to sneak aboard."

"Then find her!" Renard demanded, fear quickly taking over his features.

"Oops," Marie whispered.

Closest to the wall, Akali twisted to stare right at the vent with contemplating eyes.

"That might not be necessary," she said. Then she rapped on the metal grid, "You can come out now."

Sheepishly, Marie and the yordle crawled out of the vent before the little girl bounced back.

"Hi!" she said brightly. "I'm Marie and this is Fuzzy."

Akali raised an eyebrow and Kennen internally cringed. He was never living this down.

"Marie!" At Elaine's sharp tone, the child's expression dropped again.

"I'm sorry for interrupting," she apologised under her guardians' disapproving looks.

Shen knelt calmly by the girl to face her head-on. "Normally I wouldn't condone this type of behaviour, however, this time the issue involves you too."

"Really?" the girl asked in curiosity.

"Well, more-so your companion," he amended, "since he actually belongs with us."

The girl's face filled with fear and she clutched the yordle close.

However, it was the aristocrat that spoke up, eyes narrowed, "I don't like what you're implying."

Shen returned to his feet as he turned back to the man. "I'm not implying anything. Merely stating facts."

"I bought that yordle legally."

"Legally?" Akali finally exploded. "You can't buy a yordle. They're sentient beings!"

The noble stiffened but didn't back away from the lethal female's anger, "Never-the-less, I didn't do anything outside of the law. I own him and I have the paperwork to prove it. Now, clearly my daughter doesn't want to give him up. So if that was all you came for, Owen will see you out. Elaine, take Marie back to her lessons."

The green ninja was far from ready to let the matter drop. "We are not leaving here without him," she stated firmly as she stalked towards the retreating noble.

Kennen's eyes widened, ears pulling back in panic, but he could not warn the rampaging ninja.

Shen caught his look. "Akali, wait!" he called out, but it was too late.

As the female brandished a kunai, Kennen's orders kicked in and he shot across the space to catch the descending weapon.

Akali's startled pause was then all the opening he needed to twist the blade out of her hand and it clattered on the ground between them. The green female stepped back, surprise visible through her mask.

Renard calmly smoothed his ruffled suit from where the ninja had grabbed it. "Well now. I think your welcome has officially worn out. Fuzzy, see them out."

_No!_ his mind screamed and he desperately tried to resist the command. Agony raced through the yordle's body but he fought on with a greater intensity than ever before. Everything else he'd had to deal with – the limits to his physical body; the confinement to this tiny island; even the humiliation and degradation of his character – all of them had been trying. But they paled in comparison to this.

He would not attack his teammates. They had been partners for years; the closest thing he had to a family since he had left his own; and, realistically, they were the only way he was likely to get out of this situation. So he fought the command, even as the compulsion grew and the pain became overwhelming.

A low whine rose unbidden from his throat and he hunched over, clutching the collar. He teetered in an unstable balance for a few agonising seconds before his control slipped. After that, there was nothing else he could do as the collar's magic forced him to attack Akali.

Without weapons or the use of his electrical powers, Kennen was limited to close quarter combat, giving the green ninja an advantage. However, he was still fast and that kept Akali on her toes, particularly since she had limited herself to only dodging his attacks.

"Kennen," she spoke to him in a low voice as she twisted to avoid a fast jab at her side. "Fight it. I don't want to have to hurt you."

_Trust me Akali, _he thought, _I don't want that either, but it may be our only option._

The yordle was already fighting for control but that did not stop him from launching a series of quick attacks, causing the Fist of Shadows to back away to avoid them. The last one struck true and the green-clad female let out a grunt of pain as she escaped out of his range.

Her expression dropped into a resigned yet determined look and Kennen prepared himself for her next attack.

_This is going to hurt, _he winced internally.

He was so focused on the upcoming frontal attack that he was completely caught off guard when two hands grabbed him from behind as he was knocked off his feet. Laid out on his stomach with Shen's weight pinning him down, the yordle continued to struggle. However, the blue ninja's firm grip was enough to keep him safely in place as the rest of the room's inhabitants watched in stunned silence.

Marie peeked out from behind Elaine's protective arms with wide, brown eyes as the maid did her best to shakily shield her from the danger. Across from them, Akali remained in a state of tense inaction, still reeling from the turn of events as she warily watched Shen's attempts to subdue their partner.

Once she was sure the Eye of Twilight had everything under control, the ninja turned to the aristocrat, temper well past breaking point, "Whatever you did to him, undo it now!"

As the irate woman advanced once more on Renard, the order's binding Kennen's actions strengthened in urgency and the yordle's struggles increased.

Had Shen been a man of lesser discipline, he would have sworn as the renewed intensity made it much harder for him to hold onto his companion without hurting him. Yet somehow he managed.

Kennen, however, was far from done. With Renard still in danger and no other option available to him, the collar temporarily rescinded the lock on the yordle's magical abilities. After weeks of being held back, the sudden release caused the energy to rush to the surface almost unbidden.

Shen's eyes widened as he realised what was happening and the blue ninja immediately let go. He dodged to the side milliseconds before Kennen erupted in a burst of electricity that shot him forward to intercept the warpath of the Fist of Shadow.

"Akali! Look out!" Shen shouted, but he was too far away to do more than warn her.

Before anyone could react, Marie threw her tiny body between the disastrous collision. "Stop!" she shrieked at the top of her lungs, expression set with nothing but sheer determination.

Kennen thankfully took the opportunity to stop, skidding to a sudden halt right in front of the child. Slightly off to the side, Akali also paused in her advance in surprise and confusion. However, the girl paid neither fearsome warrior any mind and instead turned her accusing gaze up at her father.

"Is it true?" she asked him in a warbling voice. "Did you really take Fuzzy from his family?"

The aristocrat knelt at her level, reaching for the six-year-old. "Sweetie, everything I did, I did for you. I just want-"

"No!" Marie withdrew from the comforting touch. "You hurt him! You made him fight his family! Stop it! Stop it now! Let him go! Let him go! Let him go!"

Every time the noblemen tried to get a word in, the girl increased the volume of her chant.

"Fine!" he finally snapped. "You want me to remove the collar? Do you realise that he could leave you? That he could very well hurt you and me and that there will be nothing I can do?"

Her cries cut off and she looked up at him with large, sad eyes as her bottom lip trembled with repressed tears. Still, she stubbornly stuck her ground. "I don't want him to stay."

The nobleman grit his teeth. "So be it," he muttered.

Kennen tensed as he approached but didn't move, allowing Renard to reach for the collar. A couple of quick taps later and the device deactivated, falling into the man's hands before he made a hasty retreat.

The feeling of the magical restraints washing away, swept through the yordle and he let out a sigh of relief. "That's so much better," his voice was a little rough from misuse, but it had never sounded better in his ears.

Marie gave a little start, "You can talk!"

Akali snorted in an attempt to conceal her amusement, "Usually it's getting him to shut up that's the issue." The tension that had been coiled in her limbs since they'd arrived had diminished, but her eyes still held a lingering worry. "You alright?"

"Better than I was five minutes ago," the yordle answered honestly.

Akali nodded, relief relaxing her features in a way only Shen and Kennen could pinpoint. Satisfied, she turned her full wrath on the aristocrat, grabbing the man by the front of his silk shirt. "Now, it's time we dealt with you."

Marie went to intercede again, but Elaine was quicker this time. The maid scooped the girl up and turned her head into her chest in an effort to protect her from the coming violence.

Renard himself didn't resist. Instead his gaze remained fixed on his feet in tired resignation. There was nothing else he could do. He had no more tricks up his sleeve and he was not foolish enough to think he would be shown mercy.

"David Renard, you have interfered with Kinkou business," Akali told him grimly, not mincing her words, "and have knowingly cost us weeks of our precious time. Now you face the consequences."

Her kama came back, ready to strike the killing blow until Shen stopped her.

"Given the circumstances, I believe Kennen should be the one to decide our course of action. After all, he has the most intimate knowledge of situation."

Reluctantly, Akali agreed. She took a step back as their attention turned to the yordle.

Staring up at the man that had kept him a captive of his own body, weeks of anger boiled to the surface and he stalked towards the cowled noble.

In a blink, he sped to his objective before releasing his frustration in a massive electrical discharge strong enough to short out the house's power. Renard flinched, but when he opened his eyes, he found himself unharmed. Instead, in the corner of his office was the smoking remains of his charred desk.

He looked up in surprise at the yordle standing in front of him, the collar he had been holding now residing in his furry hands. With a deadpan expression, Kennen fried the device before dropping the useless parts on the floor.

"I don't understand," the noble mumbled. "After everything I did, you should hate me."

The yordle glared at him. "I do. You took away my autonomy, my worth as a person and almost drove me to the point of insanity. However," his gaze softened as it shifted to little girl still hidden in Elaine's arms, "death was what caused this situation in the first place. More death is not going to solve it."

The aristocrat continued to gape at him, seemingly unable to grasp what was happening.

"Somehow, you have managed to raise a bright, mature and selfless daughter. Someone who will go on to change the world. But only if you stop holding onto the past and start to focus on her future. Now," Kennen's expression darkened once more as he pinned Renard with his full attention, "I have destroyed all your files on that device. Take it as a warning to drop the research entirely. Because if I ever see its like again, I know _exactly_ where to find you."

The man nodded meekly, all of the fight having left him and instead replaced with confusion. "I understand."

Satisfied, Kennen turned to his companions. The two ninjas stood to the side watching his actions with a keen but assured interest. Akali still looked sullen at the turn of events but Shen gave him a curt nod of support.

"I have one last thing to do and then I'm ready to go." He padded over to Elaine and Marie. The girl had managed to pop her head up and now watched him approach with curious eyes before squirming to be released from her caretaker's arms.

"Are you really leaving?' she pouted.

"I'm sorry, I wish I could stay," he told her gently, "but I must go. I have a job to do."

"What kind of job?"

He chuckled at her blunt curiosity. "My partners and I need to make sure the world remains in balance. To maintain a sense of stability and order for people like you."

He chose his words carefully; she may be smart but she was still too young to grasp exactly what the Kinkou did. Still, her eyes lit up in limited understanding. "You're like those heroes in the stories Elaine reads? The ones that protect normal people and defeat the baddies?"

"Something like that."

Her awe and excitement quickly turned back to a sheepish sadness, "But I'll still miss you."

"I'll miss you too," he told her honestly. "And that's alright. Just remember that no matter how far away someone is, it doesn't mean that they no longer love you or will stop thinking about you. They're only as far away as you hold them in your heart."

Marie was silent for a long moment as she thought over what he'd said with a dedicated seriousness. Then, finally, she nodded. "Ok. But will you still write to me? I promise they won't get lost. Daddy gets Yawpers all the time from Piltover. And you can visit when you're not busy."

Kennen let out a genuine laugh at her persistence. "I think I can do that," he promised her.

He then turned his attention to the maid. There were so many things he wanted to say to her: all of the subtle ways she had tried to help him while he was here; the good work she was doing with Marie; even assuring the fears she had confessed to him. There was so much that it would take him hours to convey it all, so instead he tried to sum up as many of those feelings into a single nod of respect. Elaine, watching him and Marie with her serious, grey eyes, caught the gesture before returning it with one of her own.

A smile broke out on Kennen's face as he looked over to his teammates. "Alright, let's go."

* * *

There was such an overwhelming sense of relief in Kennen that it felt like his legs would give out at any moment as he walked between his companions down to the waiting ship. After so long, he was finally leaving. The thought left him with a bittersweet feeling; a tangle of emotions riding on a steady band of exhaustion.

He paused and waved to the petite figure watching from the window high above before turning away.

"So what took you so long?" he asked the pair beside him jokingly, trying to pushed the matter from his mind.

"Don't even start," Akali was obviously not in the mood for the humour. "We spent weeks traipsing all across Ionia following your trail. And Shen wouldn't let me kill anyone."

The blue ninja brushed aside the accusation in his usual stoic fashion, "There was no need. Every time the option was there, there was also a more effective solution that didn't involve it."

"It would have made me feel better," the female muttered causing Kennen to laugh.

"Fleeting catharsis is of little use in our line of duty. Though tempting in the moment, too often such actions only cause more harm than good in the long run."

The underlying context of recent wounds was clear to the other two, causing a heavy silence to fall on them.

With a drawn-out sigh, Akali conceded the point. "At least this endeavour is over now. I for one, am ready to go home."

"Me too," the yordle agreed wholeheartedly, ready for the entire ordeal to far behind him. Though there was one last thing he needed to address. "Speaking of which, please tell me you brought some clothes for me."

The green female's eyes sparked with mirth. "We could always ask to borrow one of Marie's dresses. You look very pretty in pink."

Kennen shot her a glare but before he could retort, Shen spoke up.

"Be nice Akali," he chided her. Then the corner of his mask twitched with a smile, "After all, Princess Fuzzy has been through quite enough."

Kennen threw his hands up with a groan of despair. "I'm never going to live this down." The hazel yordle stormed off towards the boat as his companions' laughter followed him.

* * *

**And that's the end :) I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did writing it!**

**The next story in this series is going to be delayed somewhat as I won't have as much time to write in the lead up to my wedding. But I'm expecting to be back into my regular schedule at the end of October. Like usual, I will post an update at the end of this story when the next one goes up. Until then, I wish you all well :)**


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